Randell: Why I deleted social media, and you should, too

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When was the last time you felt focused? I mean really focused?

On these occasions when we experience an intense period of focus, the degree to which time seems to melt away is known as “flow state.” It’s a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who first shed light on the concept in 1975.

But why are flow states so rare? And what is it about focus that seems so elusive? Today, no matter what we’re doing, distraction always seems to find a way to creep up on us.

It’s no secret that our attention spans are dropping. The biggest source of distraction is often our phones. We all carry supercomputers in our pockets and, like neglected children, they constantly scream for more of our attention. We forfeit it freely, craving distraction in a grocery line, at the doctor’s office, or before drifting off to sleep. The strangest part: While we’re somewhat uncomfortable with the thought of being bound to a tiny hand-held device, we complacently pitch more of our time into the all-consuming brain burn it offers us daily.

Are we suckers for punishment? On the contrary, I think our minds are clouded by the ill effects of our addiction. Each successive smartphone session leaves us feeling mildly content (albeit temporarily), yet unable to pinpoint what we were thinking about or planning to do before we fell sideways into algorithmic bliss.

This fleeting feeling of delight keeps us from getting angry. We feel just comfortable enough that we leave the door to our brains wide open, all but laying out the welcome mat for distraction to come and plunder what remains of our good intentions. As C.S. Lewis wrote (though he was talking about something else entirely): “We are far too easily pleased.”

Smartphones are both computers and telephones and serve many practical uses. It’s not the GPS, alarm clock, or even the trivial games on our devices that are harvesting the best of our brain cells. Rather, it’s a few particular apps, whose algorithms and notifications do a very good job of pulling us in.

When I tried to delete my social media accounts a few years ago, I thought I could become less distracted and more focused. But I actually could not comprehend how much time I was about to give back to myself and how much the absence of social media would really transform my ability to focus.

Partly, I couldn’t have known, because many of the most pronounced effects took time to reveal themselves. But I haven’t once regretted it, and my life is immensely better for it.

Today, I don’t worry about how many notifications I received while I was sleeping. I don’t even feel compelled to reach for my phone when I wake up in the morning. I’m free.

It’s been two years since I hit the delete button on my Meta accounts. I can say I’m closer to all the friends I was afraid would abandon me when I disappeared from their timelines. They still want to get together. They just have to text me instead.

I spend way more time actually talking on my phone with my family and friends than I ever did “liking” their posts on Facebook or writing on their wall. I have an abundance of free time that I’m not spending listlessly glued to my device consuming meaningless content. I read more, think more and see the world through my eyes instead of through a screen.

Social media was cool when it started and does have some limited benefits. But it’s becoming more apparent to millennials like me that the negatives far outweigh the positives.

Deleting social media has been the best thing I’ve ever done. You ought to try it.

Danny Randell is the development co-ordinator for The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. He is also an author and editor based in Calgary who is writing a book entitled Delete Social Media: Why You Should Find Meaning & Belonging Offline.